City Councilman Will Culver said Thursday night that hiking the sales tax from 8
percent to 9 percent is the most logical way to generate $125 million over the
next five years to upgrade Memorial Parkway, University Drive and U.S. 72 East,
as well as continue work on the Northern Bypass.

View full sizeHuntsville City Councilman Will Culver. (The Huntsville Times/Dave Dieter)

"If we miss this opportunity, all of those projects will
probably not happen in my lifetime," Culver said at Thursday's council meeting.
"We have to do this. The sales tax is the way to do it."

Culver said his initial thought was to raise property taxes.
But that would put the entire burden on Huntsville residents. By contrast, sales
taxes are paid by people from Madison, Athens, Decatur, Scottsboro and other
surrounding cities who come to Huntsville to shop and eat.

At 9 percent, Huntsville's sales tax would be consistent
with most nearby cities and lower than Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile, said
Culver. He said he would like to see the extra 1 percent tax stay on the books "indefinitely"
to pay infrastructure needs beyond roads.

The council has scheduled a work session for Dec. 12 at 7 p.m.
to continue debating the proposal. A vote could come at the council's Dec. 19
meeting.

Since residents of Madison and unincorporated Madison County
are heavy users of Huntsville roads, Councilman Bill Kling said the city should
ask those governments to help pay the $125 million construction tab. He said he
is also willing to consider a higher tax on gasoline or cigarettes as an
alternative to a sales tax increase.

Kling said DOT put the city in a terrible predicament when
it delayed $450 million in local road construction projects earlier this year due
to declining state revenues.

"What they have done to the city of Huntsville, I think, is
just unconscionable," he said.

Councilman John Olshefski said the city cannot come up with $25
million a year for roads by belt-tightening at City Hall. Since his 2008 election,
Battle has slashed spending on city departments and outside agencies, left jobs
unfilled, delayed vehicle purchases, offered employee buyouts to reduce salary
costs, and eliminated the popular curbside leaf pickup program.

"I don't want to raise taxes any more than anybody
else," Olshefski told AL.com. "But it's all or nothing, and we can't
afford to be nothing. I don't think we have much choice."

Councilman Richard Showers did not tip his hand Thursday
night on how he may vote. "I want to listen and go from there," he said.